'Til I Found You (COMPLETED)

18

Apology for the previous one but don't say I didn't warn you. We just led off with the heavy chapters. Expect for more pero babawi tayo. Just hold on til the last part.

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"Ganun lang?!" Emma loses control of her tone, the words echoing sharply in the room as Lea finishes recounting the wreckage.

"Eh loko pala siya eh! I thought he loves you that much, Madam. Baka mas lalaki pa nga ako sa kanya. He is a twit! Naku! Naku! You don't deserve him," Jason huffs, pacing the floor in agitation.

"And he doesn't deserve me as well," Lea replies. She looks blankly at her drink, her eyes downcast. She cries her heart out last night until exhaustion finally claims her. No calls. No texts. Her morning is sullen once more, like a sky stripped of its sun or a night without a single star. To her, this is simply how things end.

That is just it. The natural conclusion for someone like her.

"Lea, don't be too harsh on yourself. Hindi siya para sa'yo. You deserve someone else," Emma comforts her, her hand resting gently on Lea's shoulder.

"Truelalo. You can get through it, Madam," Jason adds, his sass replaced by a soft, worried look.

Lea offers a bitter smile. Things are back to their original state. She wonders if she will ever see a ray of hope again, or if she is destined to live with only a hollow contentment. This is just another battle she must face—the same rough path she paces alone, the same old trail she surmounts time and again. It tells her one thing: she should stop expecting anyone to stay. Perhaps no one from the world outside her lonely fortress is meant for her.

Her weary heart has had enough.

"So ano na plano mo, Lei?" Emma asks.

"I can't go on with this life near him. I will just string myself along until the semester ends. Besides... I filed resignation for almost a month now."

Emma and Jason gape at her statement. They know nothing about this; Lea chooses to keep it locked away. She knows they will never agree, but her mind is an adamant fortress. Staying for an extensive time will do no good for her or Aga. She decides to drag herself away on her own volition before she is discarded.

"Ano?! Lei, you don't need to leave!"

"Atsaka, Madam, saan ka naman pupunta? Don't tell me babalik ka sa hometown mo? Eh diba nga you have a lot of bad memories there?" Jason blurts out.

"No, of course not. Actually, I don't know yet. Bahala na siguro. Basta yung... malayo dito. Anywhere but here, and even far from my hometown. I know he wishes not to hear anything from me and I... I completely understand. I just want to disappear from his life." She purses her trembling lips to hinder the emotions from flowing out. The weight in her heart stings, a pressure so heavy she feels like exploding.

"Lea, think about it over and over again. Reweigh things. You cannot keep on running each time you fail. Get up and continue living. Do not be so carried away by your emotions. Matapang ka naman, Lei. I know you can beat this even if you stay here."

Lea remains mum. This is a clear-cut decision—an adamant choice to sever the tie. Truth be told, she keeps a tiny, treacherous hope alive that Aga might accept her—that he was only venting his dismay. But she pities herself for that thought. It is over. Yet, here she is, still believing he might knock on her door and ask to patch the broken lines. She imagines him fixing the bridges and realizing they are meant for each other.